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Verizon Donation to Launch CHOP Telemedicine Pilot Program

March 29, 2012 — The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia announces a grant of $100,000 from Verizon Foundation to launch a Telemedicine Pilot Program dedicated to providing pediatric specialty consultations to community hospitals.

“Thanks to the support of The Verizon Foundation’s funding, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will be able to embark on a Telemedicine pilot program with the goal of providing top caliber pediatric expertise to children, no matter where they live, through their community hospital,” said Michael Apkon, chief medical officer of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Pilot phase partnership with community hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Telemedicine, through medical grade video conferencing applications, has the promise of bringing pediatric specialists to points of care where their expertise can facilitate diagnosis and treatment in a way that transcends geography. This pilot phase will be conducted in partnership with community hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Telemedicine can overcome barriers to healthcare

“Verizon is proud to overcome medical healthcare barriers of distance, time or availability of doctors and nurses through the use of technology,” said Douglas R. Smith, vice president of State Government Affairs, Verizon Pennsylvania. “We are proud to partner with CHOP, a leading healthcare institution who shares the No. 1 spot on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of the nation’s Best Children’s Hospitals and whom we are fortunate to have located here in the greater Philadelphia region, to pilot the delivery of patient services, diagnosis and treatment through video conferencing. It’s exciting and a win-win for all!”

Pilot to test consultation services within select healthcare services

The pilot program is designed to test the applicability of consultation services in the community hospital setting for:

Intensive care services

Neonatal intensive care

Inpatient pediatric care

Neurology consultation

Genetics consultation

Emergency department care

Children's Hospital will use telemedicine to improve quality and safety of medical care for children

The goal of Children’s Hospital’s Telemedicine Program is to improve the quality and safety of care for children by offering a level of pediatric expertise not available at community hospitals, and to reduce the numbers of patients transferred for specialty evaluations when appropriate care could be delivered at the originating hospital.